As the new school year is coming into swing, so is the new iteration of Monarch’s wellness center. 

The wellness center is Monarch’s space for students to calm down, catch up on homework, eat lunch, and take a break from class.

Arica Avila, the new wellness center advisor, has updated many aspects of the room from last year. “A change I made is keeping track of when students are leaving and making sure that we are getting back to our academic classes within a certain amount of time,” Avila said. This year a check-in system has been established so students can track their time in the room.

Last year, students were over utilizing the wellness center by staying for extended periods of time, which took away from class time.

 “It’s always great to keep your eye on the clock because we are in a school and it’s really important for students to just kind of know. The wellness center was made to be a space where students can go to calm down when feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated in school,” Avila said.

She believes that 10-15 minutes in the wellness center is the perfect amount of time to wind down before returning to academics. “I added a clock so that it would be easier for students to keep track of that time on their own,” Avila said.

So far this year, Avila has noted that the wellness center has been used for getting schoolwork done during free time and as a place to eat lunch. As a result she has implemented an additional rule for the wellness center during lunch.

 “If there are more than two people eating lunch together, I’ve tried to have them eat outside of the room,” said Avila. “So then students who don’t have a person to sit with have a chance to connect with others and form a new friendship.”

Avila strives for a calming and inviting environment in the wellness center. “I love the connections I see building in there between students.”